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LIBRARY OF CONGRESS. 



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UNITED STATES OF AMEEICA. 



• 



, 




Deutsche Luxus Karten. 

Roth Daus. 
Schellen Ober. Griin Konig. 
Schellen Sieben. Eichel Wenzel 
R iick en. 



German Skat Cards. 

Ace of Hearts. 

Queen of Diamonds. King of Spades. 

Seven of Diamonds. Jack of Clubs. 

Back. 



AFTER L. BURGER'S DESIGNS. 




Deutsche Luxus Karten. 

Herz Daus. 
Eckstein Dame. Schippen Konl 
Herz Bube. Kreuz Konig. 

Ruck en. 



German Whist Cards. 

Ace of Hearts. 

Queen of Diamonds. King of Spades. 

Jack of Hearts. King of Clubs. 

Back. 



AFTER E. DOEPLER'S DESIGNS. 



■s 



AN 



ILLUSTEATED GEAMMAE 



OP 



SKAT 

THE 

GERMAN GAME OF CARDS 

GERMAN PLAYING-CARDS — MODEL GAMES — GLOSSARY OF SKAT TERMS 

GERMAN CARD-TABLE TALK AND 

a ISiMiogtaptB of g>ftat 



BY 



v/ 



ERNST EDUARD LEMCKE 






f 



- i 





SECOND EDITION REVISED AND GREATLY ENLARGED 



NEW YORK 
B WESTERMANN & CO 
• 1887 




Copyright by 
ERNST EDUARD LEMCKE 

1887 



PREFACE. 



The first edition of "SKAT, the German game of Cards" being 
sooner exhausted than the author had expected — not on account of its 
merits as a book, but the subject dealt with, he is only too well aware 
— it gives him pleasure with a corrected reprint of the Primer, pages 
1 to 21, to indite new matter, pages 22 and after, for the advanced 
student of Skat ; on the social bearings of the German game and 
such traits of character as manifest themselves in the peculiar Skat- 
terminology in an English garb such as he could give it during the 
few leisure hours of a busy life. American players- should master as 
much of the SKAT-jargon as seems absolutely necessary, when joining 
a party of Germans, to be considered SsAT-players in full standing. 
Not the least part of the social enjoyment the German game affords, 
consists in the peculiar way of putting things and a SsAT-book not do- 
ing justice, in a measure, to its humor, would fall short of realizing 
the author's ultimate aim touched upon at some length in the notice 
of the first edition, reprinted from the " N. Y. Nation:" to teach his 
English-speaking brethren not the game only, but something better 
worth knowing of things German than a game at cards merely, how- 
ever interesting as such. That this most seductive portion of his task 
is not fuller, he regrets, but must content himself with what he can 
now give as an apology for what he intended. The encouraging recep- 
tion of his first venture by the press, Anglo-American as well as Ger- 
man-American, leaves room for the hope, that the new one will be as 
indulgently treated and that his readers may be pleased to bear in 
mind, that he handles a very German subject in a language acquired 
late in life, while there can be no more difficult task than to preserve 
the flavor of humor in the translating process and to create, single- 
handed, a new terminology. 

To all new subjects of the powerful democratic sovereigns, the 
Four Jacks — who it is. hoped have established their dominion among 



IV 

us permanently, without detriment to Republican institutions and the 
powers that be— greeting, and the kind wish that, in doing them hom- 
age, each one may find their companionship as entertaining and fas- 
cinating as it proves to the author in the hours of rest from toil and 
labor, with congenial friends, German as well as American. Among 
the latter — and in his younger days before the Franco-German war in 
Paris — he has proselyted with no mean degree of success. These 
Jacks are small men, worth little, two points only as compared with 
the rich folks, the bloated bondholders Ace and Ten who are, together, 
worth more than ten times a Jack ; but the Jack knocks them down 
whenever he meets them. His strike, however, is tempered by law. 
Though equals originally, their power is graded by constitutional enact- 
ment, he of clubs is "primus inter pares." While they represent the 
supremacy and permanency of the law, so to say, and allow of no 
contempt by high or low* the rulers or trumps are for each game 
seated in their official chairs by election, and those high in authority 
now must step down and out, unmurmuring, when their term expires; 
while the Jacks hold office for life, no matter which party is in the 
ascendency. But alas ! Even in the course of SKAT-events there is a 
time when life, liberty and the ordinary pursuit of happiness are inter- 
fered with, all laws repealed, the Jacks boycotted, and he rules 
supreme who owns the least : the poor man is King when Nullo is 
played. 

Thus, this democratic game of Skat, long despised in court circles, 
oecause in it a Bauer (Knave) beats a King, covers all the vicissitudes 
of life and it, too, holds the mirror up to nature. 

The author gratefully acknowledges his indebtedness to the excel- 
lent German treatises on Skat, by A. Hertefeld (the late Baron Hirsch- 
feld) for the first part; and C. Buhle for the second part, the model 
games and summary of rules. 

Astoeia, N. Y., March 19, 1887. 

ERNST EDUAED LEMCKE. 



SKAT" 

REVIEWED, BY WAY DF * H.N 

INTRODUCTION. 



(From the "N. Y. Nation," Nov. 4, 1886.) 

Skat: the German Game of Cards. B. Westermann & Co. 

At Coblenz, where the Moselle River empties into the Rhine, the 
yellow floods of the tributary are for miles distinguishable from the 
blue-green waters of the "coupe des nations," as Lamartine calls the 
German river. Similarly, German social life, with its pastimes and 
characteristics, remains a distinct feature in this cosmopolitan City of 
New York, into which the stream of immigration empties its floods of 
Germans year after year. They become Americans soon enough, poli- 
tically, commercially, industrially ; and Karl, Heinrich, and Hans are 
Charley, Harry and John, before they have mastered the language into 
which they are so eager to translate their names. But the best of 
them, the well-educated and gentlemanly, with no anarchist bent or 
other disqualification, do not socially enter into the American life, as a 
rule, for a generation. Neither do Americans take cognizance of the 
real social characteristics of their new brethren in politics. Of course, 
the well-to-do of both nationalities meet on a footing of social equality 
at receptions, parties, and balls ; but who finds social pleasure where 
there is as little occasion for asserting one's individuality as there is 
elbow-room ? A large number of Americans attend the Liederkranz 
balls and can be met at the homes of wealthy Germans. But these, 
in a great measure, have long ago divested themselves of the really 
characteristic home agrcments of the Fatherland, and care little to do 
missionary work in opening up to Americans a vista of the hearth 
pleasures and the intimate social life of the German household. 



VI 

Indubitably the German Gemuih does lend a charm to the enjoyment 
of life in the home circle, for there can be nothing more thoroughly 
enjoyable than a German Polierabend, Sylvesternight amusements, and 
the Julklapp at the Christmas tree — which latter, as well as Moltke, 
has conquered even the hereditary enemy. We do not, of course, refer 
to the loud-mouthed Gemuthlichkeit of the ordinary and extraordinary 
Kneipgenie, which the average American is too apt to consider the 
characteristic of the German. 

The late Friedrich Kapp, indeed, was inclined to advise his coun- 
trymen to shuffle off as soon as possible the German coil, and 
become Americans on landing here. One may be allowed to think, 
however, that the flavor of foreigness which an educated German dif- 
fuses in American homes is far from disagreeable to equally well-bred 
Americans, and that meeting as social peers, either should assimilate 
what is be^t in the other— that the yellow Moselle should merge in 
the blue Ehine, and vice versa — because nobody is so perfect, indi- 
vidual or nation, as not to find something worth learning from an- 
other. If, as Goethe maintained, mastering a foreign language doubles 
one's individuality, how much more valuable would be the full know- 
ledge of another Volksseele, as it manifests itself in its most intimate 
'social life. 

To come to our point, the card game of Skat is a feature of great 
magnitude in German social life, at the fire-side, and in the Stamm- 
kneipe, in whose dingy circumference his Excellency, the Privy Coun- 
cillor ; the Professor of Pehlevi ; the general of the Army and the 
merchant prince, as well as the dii minorum gentium, meet at their 
Slammtisch for a game of Skat. While this country is given up to 
lawn-tennis and other English sports, the great German community 
have so far not exerted themselves to bring their favorite pastime 
before the Americans, and the little pamphlet whose title we give 
above, is, we believe, the first attempt in this direction, and, conse- 
quently, possesses greater importance and significance than its slender 
size would betoken. Skat is a power in German life. Even Wilhel- 
mine Buchholz became one of its devotees at the first sitting, albeit 
in the uncongenial company of her son-in-law and his doctor friend, 
who explained its principles to her, withholding, however, as she 
asserts, the best tricks and slyest devices for their own advantage. 
But winning a grando with four Matadors sweetens for her the dire 
confession that the card devil had secured a new victim. 



VII 

(From the "Brooklyn Neue Freie Presse.") 

TRANSLATION. 

(After referring to a Skat Congress held at Brooklyn) : 

It is hardly necessary to assert that this event will leave its mark 
on the history civilization. 

In Germany Imperial Skat (Keichs-Skat) is now the order of the 
day ; it must soon be Universal Skat (Welt-Skat), since the four Jacks are 
certain to conquer the world. A national association is now engaged 
in propagating this interesting game in America, in which endeavor 
a Skat-book in the English language, published by B. Westermann 
& Co., New York, will prove a substantial help. Compiled from Ger- 
man sources, it is an excellent guide for learning how to play Skat. 
The translation into English of the technical Skat-terms is amusinc : 
2)ie 3?ort)cmb tturb gereigt — is driven, bid up, irritated. 2Iuf bie 2)or[er 
{jeljen is well hit by : visiting the hamlets. SBtmmettt is rendered by 
dumping. The compiler, however, slips up on the classical 2ftauem, 
for which he finds nothiDg better than : to be overcareful, a rendering 
devoid of power and pith.* 

Undoubtedly, the little Skat-book will have its share in making 
Americans admirers of the four Jacks, and when once German-Ameri- 
cans and Anglo-Americans begin fleecing each other at the Skat-table, 
the last obstacle to a full harmony between the two elements of 
population, dwelling together in the United States, must have been 
finally and forever removed. 



* Fuller justice has been done to this and similar Skat-terms in this new 
edition, than was possible or intended in the Skat Primer. 



OOZSTTZETNTTS. 



PART I. 

OKIGIN AND HISTORY OF SKAT 3 

PRINCIPLES OF SKAT 5 

PLAYING OF THE GAME 9 

ORDER AND VALUATION OF GAMES 15 

HINTS FOR PLAYERS 17 

PART II. 

INTRODUCTORY 25 

GERMAN CARDS 27 

MODEL GAMES 31 

Simple Game 31 

Totjrne 32 

Solo 35 

Gkando 36 

Nullo 38 

SKAT PROBLEMS 40 

SOME GENERAL RULES 41 

GLOSSARY OF SKAT TERMS 46 

SKAT rN GERMAN SOCIAL LIFE 51 

Fritz Reutee's Card Party 57 

BD3LI0GRAPHY OF SKAT 62 

INDEX 64 






PAET I 



Ortijograpig attb ^fgraofagg 

Origin and History 

GENERAL PRINCIPLES 

AND RULES 

ORDER AND VALUATION OF GAMES. 

(a second edition of the skat primer) 



Inscribed to all who love to 
trump their partner's tricks. 



SKAT. 



THE GERMAN GAME OF CARDS. 




OME recent experience in introducing this, as it 
may well be called, the national game of cards 
of the Germans to American friends has proven 
beyond a doubt that its popularity in Germany to the al- 
most entire exclusion of Whist, L'hombre, Boston and all 
other card games, is not undeserved. The writer's friends 
took hold of it eagerly, mastered the apparent difficulties, 
when properly explained, very readily and after a few 
trials became great lovers of it. For it really is a most 
wonderful and interesting conception, wrought out with 
a surprising consequental application of its fundamental 
principle, affording greater variety and more possibilities 
in bringing out to the best advantage the individuality of 
each player, not hampered by an uncongenial partner, and 
in keeping the interest of those engaged in it longer sus- 



*) Pronounce the a as in father. 



tained than any other game of cards. Its devotees would 
scorn an invitation to a rubber of Whist, of which they 
think no better than a chess-player does of dominoes. A 
congress of Skat players recently held at Altenburg, 
Saxony, the home of the game, has brought the noble pas- 
time still more prominently before the public, so that the 
time seems propitious for introducing it to Americans more 
generally than can be done by individual players among a 
limited number of friends. With this object in view the 
following sketch has been compiled, in great part from the 
excellent German treatise " Illusirirtes Skatbuch " (by A. 
Hertefeld), Breslau, 1885, in which the game has been, so 
to say, codified, the rules there laid down now being more 
generally accepted than heretofore, local and individual 
deviations becoming more and more merged into the 
" Beichs-Skat," the outcome of the Altenburg Congress. 

Skat is of quite recent origin which is already shrouded 
in myths. It is certain that it was first played by the 
farmers of the romantic country around the Wartburg. It 
bears a great resemblance to the Wendish game of " Schqfs- 
kopf" (sheepshead) and " Dreibein " (three legs). A Wend- 
ish coachman, it is related, taught his employer, who in 
turn initiated a party of Taroc players among whom one 
F. F. Hempel, a lawyer, took a prominent part in develop- 
ing and settling the rules now governing the game. A 
party of students, on a pedestrian tour through Thuringia, 
there learned and transplanted it on the fruitful soil of 
their alma mater, whence it finally was spread over the 



fatherland and wherever Germans went, and can now, 
probably, be found eagerly played in the African colonies 
of Germany, the Sandwich Islands or, in fact, the world 
over where three Germans meet. It is hardly more than 
sixty years old. 

The name of Skat has been in various ways explained 
etymologically. Some derive it from Gothic Skatts, Anglo- 
Saxon Skatl, the modern German Schatz (treasure), because 
two cards are put aside, which are a treasure for one of 
the players. More plausible, though less learned and poet- 
ical is the derivation or corruption from Schafskopf, or 
perhaps, since Taroc certainly had a great influence on 
the development of Skat, from " Scart" one of the terms 
used in Taroc, a game of Italian origin, Scart from Scartare, 
to discard, an important feature in Skat. Matador is like- 
wise a term used in Skat and taken from Taroc. 

THE PRINCIPLES OF SKAT. 

Three or more persons can play Skat ; three, however, 
are active only in each game, the others being " im Skat" 
discarded for the time till their turn comes. One hand 
plays the game against the other two and is "the player" 
the other two playing jointly in opposition to him as 
partners. 

Skat is a game of points, not tricks. Two tricks may 
win, and eight may lose the game. The cards have a 
point value different from their trumping power. The 
game is played with a pack of piquet cards, 32, from the 



Seven up ; in Germany mostly with the peculiar " Deutsche 
Karte" of odd design. 

The Jacks or Knaves, called " Wenzel" which seems to con- 
firm the Wendish origin of the game, " Bauer n" (Knaves), 
"Jungen " (boys), are the highest trumping cards, no mat- 
ter which suit is made trumps, except in Nullo. 

Every player holds ten cards, two are laid aside "in the 
Skat." The use made of these two cards, called "the 
Skat," determines the two different styles of playing : with 
the Skat (simple game and Tourne), or : without the Skat 
(Solo, Nullo, Grando). 

Playing with the Skat : The "player " has the right to 
take these two cards and to discard two others which he 
can best spare, before beginning the game. Without the 
Skat : The "player," without taking the Skat, plays with 
the ten cards dealt to him, the two cards in the Skat, 
however, or the points they contain, being added to his 
score. 

The four suits are of graded value, clubs being the 
best, spades second, hearts third and diamonds fourth or 
lowest. The trumping power of the Jacks is in the same 
order, Jack of clubs always highest, Jack of diamonds 
lowest. 

The privilege of playing the game is bid for at the be- 
ginning of each game. Whoever offers to play in a better 
suit than all others, according to the order named, secures 
this privilege, and must score, of the 120 points repre- 
sented by all the counting cards, one more than half, 61 



points at least. With 60 points only, lie loses ; with 30 
points he is " Schneider " or " geschnitten " (cut) ; with no 
count at all, he is " Schwarz " (black = whitewashed). Con- 
sequently the two hands in opposition to the "player," 
scoring jointly 60 points, win the game from player ; scor- 
ing 30 are out of Schneider, but are Schwarz with no count. 

In order to find out who can play the game in a better 
suit than any other hand, the first hand, to the dealer's 
left, is driven or bid up (" wird gereizt," literally: is irri- 
tated) by second hand, or if the latter is unable or unwil- 
ling to offer a game, by third hand. The successful 
bidder becomes the player ; winning, he is paid the cost 
of the game by all hands, active and inactive ; losing, he 
pays all hands. 

The number of possible combinations is exceedingly 
great. It has been computed that a party playing since 
the day of creation could not have exhausted them all. 
Hardly ever at one sitting will two games run alike. One 
single card in a different hand may turn the chances. 
Few games, very rarely dealt, are absolutely secure ; some 
lucky accident may win the weakest, or ruin the strongest 
hand. In Solo games the uncertainty about the trumping 
and counting value of the two cards in the Skat adds 
much to the possibilities for either side. 

Skat is a decidedly German game, though the outcome 
of a Slavonic-Italo-German alliance, and is therefore, as 
stated, played with German cards. There is nothing, how- 
ever, to prevent the ordinary French or Whist card being 



8 



used. This is, in fact, done to a great extent, wherever 
German cards are unobtainable. The point value of the 
cards of each suit is : Jacks = 2, Aces = 11, Tens = 10, 
King = 4, Queens = 3 ; or four times 30 = 120 points. 
Nines, Eights, Sevens do not count (Ladons). The Jacks, 
though highest trumps, count two points only in scoring ; 
very properly so, according to the philosophy of the game. 
They enable the player to draw trumps without risking 
many points, the big point cards, Ace and Ten, remaining 
in reserve to be played after the Jacks are out of harm's 
way. 

The graded value of the four suits has been stated; 
the hand, therefore, having a game with hearts for trumps, 
outbids the opponent who has diamonds. The Jacks are 
in the same sequence subordinated to each other and are 
the four best trumps in all games, except Nullo, no matter 
which suit is made trumps. Hence there are really seven 
cards only to each suit, the Jacks being, so to say, a suit 
by themselves, changing in each game to the trump suit 
and making trumps a suit of eleven cards. Three times 
seven = twenty-one and eleven = 32 cards. The Jacks 
should, therefore, always be ranged by themselves in the 
players' hands, not with the suit of which they are taken, 
and after trumps are declared, be put with the trump suit 
This will save beginners many serious mistakes. 

All trump cards, as far as they form an unbroken 
sequence in the "player's " hand, from Jack of clubs down, 
are called " Matadors " and are of importance in computing 



the cost of each game. The two cards in the Skat being 
considered the player's, he may, therefore, hold eleven 
Matadors, ten in his hand and one in the Skat or nine in 
his hand and two in the Skat. This would add eleven 
rates to the value of the game he plays. This sequence of 
Matadors counts only so far as it is unbroken. Player 
holding, for instance, eight trumps, 1st, 2d, 4th Jacks, Ace, 
Ten, King, Queen, Nine, plays with two Matadors only, the 
sequence being broken by the absence of 3d Jack. If he 
held this 3d Jack also, his would be a game with nine 
Matadors. The great puzzle for beginners in computing 
the cost of a game comes from the peculiar fact that an 
unbroken sequence of Matadors held, just as well as an 
unbroken sequence of Matadors not held by player, is 
counted in determining the cost of each game. Thus with 
2d, 3d, 4th Jacks, Ace, Ten, King, Queen, Eight, player has 
a game without one Matador ; the same hand with 3d and 
4th Jacks would be without two; or a hand with Seven 
of trumps only, without ten; or a Solo hand with Ace, Ten, 
and all lower trumps but no Jacks, a game without four, a 
high game ; when finished, however, and the Skat is turned 
up, where the 2d Jack is found, it is without one only, 
worth much less. 

PLAYING THE GAME. 

The cards are well shufned and cut. The first dealer 
is determined by dealing one card to each player until a 
Jack is on the table. The party receiving it deals the first 



IO 

round, five cards to each of the three active hands — if 
four play, the dealer remains inactive— then two cards 
"in the Skat," and again five to each player. The party to 
the dealer's left receiving the first cards, is " Vorhand" 
(first hand) ; the next " Mittelhand" second or middle hand 
the last, " Hinterhand" third hand (dealer, when three only 
play). After sorting the cards, suits together, in the order 
of the cards which, Nullo excepted, always is : Ace, Ten 
King, Queen, Nine, Eight, Seven, — Jacks by themselves — 
second hand begins the driving, offering a game to first 
hand, not necessarily in his best suit or the one he finally 
intends to make trumps, so as not to disclose his cards or 
prevent his playing in a better suit, if the cards found in 
the Skat warrant it. Supposing first hand passes when 
second hand offers a game in hearts, while he really in- 
tends to play in spades ; on taking the Skat, he finds 
that he can win in clubs, a still better game than spades. 
His having offered hearts does not prevent his playing any 
higher game but precludes his making trumps any suit 
inferior to the one he has committed himself to in his 
bidding. He could not, in this instance, make diamonds 
trumps after taking the Skat, because be has offered hearts. 
If second hand holds no cards to warrant bis bidding for 
the game, third hand does so ; if third hand also passes, 
first hand becomes "the player" or may likewise pass, when 
he deals a fresh game. If two equally high games are bid, 
first hand has a better chance than second or third, and 
second than third. 



II 

These being so far all simple games, second hand may 
wish to go further than simple game in clubs and may 
offer as the next higher : Tourne (turn up), which means 
that the successful bidder turns up one of the two Skat 
cards, showing it ; whatever suit this card happens to be y 
must be made trumps, whether welcome to the player or 
not. This is rather hazardous, as player may turn up a 
suit of which he holds not a single card. He also takes 
the second Skat card, without showing it, discards two 
and plays the game in the suit which chance has made 
trumps. 

Tourne is outbid by Solo in any suit, the suits again 
in their regular order. Solo in spades must yield to Nullo 
and Club Solo ranks higher than Nullo ; Grando beats 
Club Solo. The order of the games is later on given in 
tabulated form. 

Supposing second hand to be the successful bidder 
with Solo in clubs. First and third hand play against him. 
First hand always has the first lead. Every hand must 
follow suit under all circumstances as long as he can. 
Nobody is obliged to trump, but may as often as he is 
unable to follow suit. Player's object now is to secure 61 
points, or more, by getting in his tricks as many high 
counting cards as possible. The object of first and third 
hands jointly is to prevent this. Two tricks of one Ace 
and two Tens each, footing up 62 points, are sufficient to 
win or lose the game. Player, 2d hand holds the fol- 
lowing card : 



12 




In the Skat 






v 



A, first hand 1 , leads Ace of spades, player follows suit with 
Ten of spades ; third hand, out of spades, trumps with 
Ace of clubs, though the trick is his partner's. (1st trick, 
against player : 11 -(- 10 -j- H = 32 points). Third hand 
thereby secures the eleven points of Ace of trumps, which 
otherwise he would be compelled to play into player's 
trick as soon as the latter played a Jack. Third hand, 
having taken, now has the lead. He plays Ace of dia- 
monds. First hand trumps with Ten of clubs, player must 
follow suit with unguarded Ten of diamonds (2d trick, 
against player : 11 -[- 10 -f- 10 = 31). Player loses the game 
in two tricks = 63 points, although holding eight trumps 
(a ninth in the Skat) and making every trick left. Two 



1) The three players are designated by the letters A, first hand ; B, second 
hand; C, third hand. The heavy type (B) designates the hand which has 
secured the privilege of playing by bidding the highest game. 



13 

bad cards (" Fehlkartea ") lost him a Solo game in clubs, 
rate of game 12 ; to which add : with four matadors (4 
times 12 = 48), total 60 points or chips, which amount he 
pays to each hand at the table. Had player with the 
above card been first hand, having the first lead, his game 
could under no circumstances have been lost. Having 
drawn out with a Jack, Ace and Ten of trumps, and con- 
tinued playing trumps in the expectation that one of the 
dangerous Aces might be thrown in his tricks, or that fail- 
ing, played Ten of spades, taken by Ace and third hand 
dumping ("wimmeln") Ace of diamonds, so as to make the 
trick count 32, then player's Ten of diamonds would have 
been a good card, his opponents would have 32 points 
only, losing the game but saving Schneider : Or player 
leading Ten of diamonds, next hand dumping Ace of 
hearts and third hand taking with Ace of diamonds, third 
hand would lead, in turn, King of diamonds, player throws 
away Ten of spades, next hand dumps Ace of spades, a 
trick of 25 points, added to 32 points in the previous 
trick, would make 57 points only against him, while he 
would win with 63 points. 

Nullo is a game, ranging between Solo in spades and 
Solo in clubs. Its object as well as mode of playing are 
not germane to the general principles of Skat ; it is ap- 
parently an afterthought to afford an unusually poor hand 
a chance for turning bad luck to some account. The player 
must make no tricks at all. The cards in Nullo and in 
Nullo only, are as in "Whist : Ace, King, Queen, Jack, Ten, 



14 

Nine, Eight, Seven. There are no trumps, and the Jacks 
take their places in their own suits. A single trick, taken 
by player, loses him the game and immediately finishes it. 

Grando, on the other hand, is a Solo with this differ- 
ence that the four Jacks only are trumps. The player 
must make 61 points, at least, and the game is played ac- 
cording to the general rules. As a Jack played in any 
other game calls for trumps, in Grando Jack calls for 
Jacks. Grando outbids Solo in clubs. 

In playing Tuurne, the hand turning up a Seven may, 
before taking up the second card, play Nullo instead of 
the suit to which the Seven belongs, whichever suits his 
hand best. The same, on turning up a Jack, he may 
either make the suit of the Jack trumps or play Grando, 
in either case giving his decision before looking at the 
second card in the Skat. 

Nullo may also be played open and if so announced out- 
bids a Grando with one, or without one Matador (Jacks, 
as in Grando the Jacks only are Matadors). After the first 
trick player lays his hand open on the table, while his 
opponents play, without seeing each other's cards. 

The most difficult part of the game is correctly to 
judge a hand dealt with a view of playing the most valu- 
able game that can safely be expected to be won. To 
offer a high game with little or no chance of winning is 
as wrong as playing a game inferior to what the hand 
can be made to yield. Experience alone can teach how 
to avoid either. 



15 



THE ORDER AND VALUATION OF GAMES. 



Simple Game, Diamonds, Kate or Cost 1 



Player taking up 
the two Skat cards. 



Tourne', 



The Skat not being 
taken tip during the 
game, its points 
counting for player 
all the same. 



Solo, 



Hearts, " 


" 2 


Spades, " 


" 3 


Clubs, 


•' 4 


Diamonds, ' ' 


" 5 


Hearts, " 


•' 6 


Spades, " 


" 7 


Clubs, 


" 8 


Diamonds, " 


" 9 


Hearfs, " 


" 10 


Spades, " 


" 11 


(Nullo 20) 




Clubs, 


"- 12 


" 


" 16 



Grando, 

(Nullo open 40) 
Grando, with or without two or more Jacks, 
(rate 16, but must at least cost 48, hence 
higher than Nullo open.) 



These rates are the first cost of the game played by 
the successful bidder and are reckoned in computing the 
cost of each game : a) once for the game ; b) as many 
times more as the player's hand held, or lacked Matadors 
(possibly eleven times under b) ; c) as many times more 
as player made his opponents Schneider (1); Schwarz (1); 
or in Solo games gave notice before playing the first card 
that he would make them Schneider (1) or Schwarz (1) or 
both (possibly four rates under c) ; in all at most 1 6 rates 
under a, b, c. The announcement of Schneider is good for 



i6 



two rates, as Schneider is paid one rate, even if not an- 
nounced. Hence an announced Schwarz includes Schneider 
(1); its announcement (1); Schwarz (1); its announce- 
ment (1); or four rates in all. 

Thus, a simple game in hearts, with three Matadors, 
player scoring 91 points, is worth : Game 1 ; three Mata- 
dors 3 ; Schneider 1 ; or five time 2, the rate of this game 
= 10 chips which player receives from each hand. 

Or : a Tourne in spades, player holding 3d and 4th 
Jacks, scoring only 30 points, loses : Game 1 ; without two 
Matadors 2 ; Schneider 1 ; four times seven = 28 chips. 

Or : a Solo in clubs, player holding 1st and 4th Jacks, 
wins with 61 points : Game 1 ; with one Matador 1 ; or 
twice the rate of 12 = 24 chips. 

Or : a Grando with 2d, 3d, 4th Jacks and announcing 
Schneider, making every trick, the 1st Jack being in the 
Skat : Game 1 ; four Matadors 4 ; Schneider 1 ; Schwarz 
1 ; Schneider announced 1 ; eight times 16 = 128 chips 
from every hand. 

A club Solo with eleven Matadors, which, of course, 
could announce Schneider and Schwarz, unless indeed the 
eleventh Matador in the Skat were the best Jack, would 
be the highest possible game: 1 -\- 11-}- 4 = 16 times 12 = 
196 chips from each player, a game which probably few 
players ever actually held. 

All other games, lost or won, can be readily computed 
according to these models, taking the game always as one 
rate ; with (or without) so many Matadors = x ; Schneider, 



17 



Schwarz, announcement of either, so many more rates = 
y ; hence, 1 -j- x -|- y = z, multiplied by the rate of the 
game in the above table. 

Nullo and open Nullo are sometimes valued 15 or 16 
and 30 or 32 respectively, a matter of special agreement 
between players. The Grando played after turning up a 
Jack is rated 12 only and called a Tourne Grando, as dis- 
tinguished from a Solo Grando. 

HINTS FOR PLAYERS. 

The following hand, for instance, would to many seem 
a doubtful Solo, on account of the four " Fehlkarten " which 
cannot possibly be made to yield for the player's score a 
single point. 




4* • 4* 

•S. * A 






9 9? 


9 9 
S? 






o v o 









As a Grando, it would appear suicidal to an inexperi- 
enced player and yet, provided Player is first hand and has 
the lead, it is a Grando which cannot possibly be lost, no 
matter how the other cards are distributed. Player makes 
6 tricks, drawing the 3d and 4th Jacks and playing his 
Aces and Tens. He gets from his opponents twelve cards 
and the two cards in the Skat, 14 cards. As there are 
only 12 Ladons (cards of no counting value) of which he 
holds himself four, six cards must be played into his tricks 
of some counting value. These six cards must be : 2 Jacks 
= 4 points ; at least 4 Queens = 12 points, total 16 points. 



i8 



His own hand yields him : 2 Jacks = 4 ; 2 Aces = 22 ; 
2 Tens = 20 ; total 46 with above 16 points = 62, sufficient 
to win the game, a Grando with two, 3 times 16 = 48 
chips. Quite different would be the result, if player held 
one single Queen among his "Fehlkarten," say Queen of 
hearts instead of Eight. He would get 9 cards of no 
value in his tricks and lose the game with 59 points. 

First hand most always has the best chance in Skat, as 
the first lead often is instrumental in winning a game 
which 2d or 3d hand must necessarily lose, as appears 
from the game described on page 12. 

The discarding in simple and Tourne games should be 
done carefully. Aside from the advantage of seeing 12 
cards against the opponents' ten each, the player should 
try so to discard as to get his strong suit in a good firni 
sequence and rid his hand of one suit entirely to trump 
high cards. It is advisable to discard high counting cards, 
unless they are reasonably certain of making tricks in the 
run of the game. Even Ace and Ten of trumps are some- 
times safer when discarded, their 21 points swelling the 
player's score just as well, if it becomes certain that the 
opponents can draw them out with Jacks. 

Ace and Ten of a long suit, not trumps, should also be 
discarded when King and Queen are also held as the lat- 
ter are good if Ace and Ten are not in the game. Un- 
guarded Ten should always be discarded. 

When first hand plays the game, trumps should be led. 
The leading cards of other suits are good only after 



19 

trumps are out. Even if weak in trumps, player should 
lead them to hide his weakness. If player has to rely on 
his leading cards exclusively and holds none or very few 
trumps, he may try to score his 61 points by playing out his 
Aces and Tens (" auf die DOrfer gehen," visiting the hamlets). 

Leading and playing the game, one against two, is in 
itself a double advantage. Player can make his play ag- 
gressive and knows exactly how many trumps his two 
opponents hold. When 2d or 3d hand plays the game, it 
becomes the player's first object to secure the lead. 

The two hands in opposition have the hardest task. 
They know only their own hand and yet must try to act 
in unison. Since there are really few games that cannot 
be broken by good play, their task is very interesting and 
should from the first be to break the player's trump force, 
not by leading trumps, however, which is advisable only 
when player is very weak in trumps. They must further 
try to get player between them, or prevent his being 3d 
hand. Player thus placed in the middle, 3d hand, playing 
after him, has a chance to dump (" wimmeln") cards of 
high value into every trick which player has not taken. 
All hands should always count the points in their tricks. 
An Ace or even King at a critical moment dumped in a 
trick may win a game which, that last chance lost, may be 
beyond recovery. 

In Solo games the opposition should lead as many Aces 
as they hold, changing suit with every trick, as player has 
had no chance to discard. 



20 



The following game may serve to illustrate how many 
things a wide-awake player has to take into consideration 
and how his play should be accommodated to circumstances, 
disclosed by the driving. 

Player is first hand. 2nd hand has driven him up to 
Solo in spades. First hand announces a Grando with this 
hand : 



o o 




A A A A 

A A 

AAA A 

A A| A A 






It is immaterial what 3d hand holds. Since 2d hand 
offered as high a game as Solo in spades, player must 
surmise that both Jacks and a strong suit are in 2d hand. 
If he loses sight of this and plays either Jack, 2d hand 
takes with the next higher, draws the other Jack from 
player, leads spades seven times and player, not knowing 
what cards toward the last to throw away, and obliged to 
hold an Ace of a short suit, keeps Ace of diamonds. 2d 
hand plays Eight of hearts last, and player loses every 
trick and is made Schwarz. Cost of Game : Grando with- 
out one, Schneider and Schwarz, 4 times 16 = 64 chips. 
But bearing in mind the fact that 2d hand is strong, an 
experienced player will manage differently by leading first 
Ace of hearts ; then the Ten which 2d hand trumps with 
Jack of hearts and whether playing his spades or best 



21 



Jack, player will keep one Jack to take the lead again and 
may possibly make his opponents Schneider, or if all goes 
against him, lose some 30 points, but win his game. 
Another game : Second hand gets the game with 






0% 


°0° 





* 



and makes it diamond Solo ; there being only Ace, Ten 
and Nine of trumps in his opponents' hands, he announces 
Schneider, being too careful to jeopardize a high game by 
announcing Schwarz. He not only loses Schneider, but 
does not even score 61 points, though 14 points in the 
Skat count for him, because 1st hand having Ten of spades 
fourth, plays it, 2d hand follows with Ace, 3d hand trumps 
with Ace of diamonds ; plays Ten of clubs, 1st hand 
trumps with Ten of diamonds and player follows with Ace 
of clubs. 64 points scored by the opposition; player loses: 
Game 1 with 4 Matadors, Schneider 1, Schneider announced 
1, or 7 times 9 = 63 chips. Played as a Grando his hand 
would have been good. 

The cost of the games is best paid in chips after each 

round. The chips generally in use are □ one, Q five, 

] twenty. Otherwise each player is credited or debited 

with the amount of each game won or lost and the balance 

struck at the end. 





PAET II. 

£gnfof and proso&g 

GERMAN PLAYING CARDS 

MODEL GAMES 

GLOSSARY OF SKAT TERMS 

GERMAN CARD-TABLE TALK 

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 



35a f&ngt i% erjl an ! 

©atije 9?ationen lemen e§ me ! 



SKAT. 



THE GERMAN GAME OF CARDS. 




HE foregoing pages, published in 1886 in pam- 
phlet form as the first edition of SKAT, were 
— as far as the author is aware — the first attempt 
at introducing this interesting German game to English- 
speaking card players. The Primer, giving the elements 
of its grammar, so to speak : its orthography and etymology, 
does not by any means exhaust the subject, witness the 
extensive literature on Skat in the German language, its 
now almost daily occurrence in the periodical press and 
more serious books. It has even been musically treated; 
some of the most successful scenes in recently produced 
German comic operas are T^uilt up on a SxAT-motif, and 
the heavy ordnance of the calculus of probabilities has 
been brought to bear on the Four Jacks ; but our readers 
are not expected to plunge into such depths. A lesson on 



26 

its Syntax and Prosody, however, seems to be called for, 
an explanation of German Skat Terms and Skat Cards, 
its social bearings and its humor. The latter deserves to 
be treated by a pen dipped in Fritz Reuter's ink-stand, 
although humor and things German are considered con- 
tradictory terms, as we are so frequently told by our 
ex officio critics. According to them, the German mind 
lacks this special bump, claimed as the peculiar character- 
istic of each critic's own kin only, notwithstanding the 
fact, that the most successful funny paper in the United 
States was founded and is conducted by Germans and 
that, as we make bold to assert, a game of Skat with toler- 
ably jolly Germans would prove an exhilarating affair to 
the most stubbornly inamusable, for Skat is a jolly game, 
passing off quickly and full of surprises. Anyone who has 
lived long enough in more than one foreign country, is 
certain to have noticed that each nation claims the mono- 
poly of humor, probably because the number of persons 
capable of enjoying exotic fun of any kind is very limited, 
and among those who fill the critical columns of the press, 
few seem to have had the opportunity of an extended so- 
journ in foreign lands, sufficient to teach them somewhat 
more than even a perfect knowledge of languages. Ger- 
mans are not devoid of humor, because non-Germans 
are not capable of appreciating it with its, of course, very 
pronounced German flavor. It exists, all the same, for 
no people without it can be great in other fields of intel- 
lectual or practical work. It exists just as certainly, as 



27 

the dark side of the sun, though those do not see it who 
have never travelled far enough in the direction where 
that too becomes luminous. It is the want of piercing 
keenness of sight that denies its existence and the same 
is true of the Frenchman and the German, whose appre 
ciation of English or American humor is, generally speak- 
ing, as uncomplimentary for the same reasons. The humor 
of any one nation can be enjoyable to those only whose 
acquaintance with its moral physiognomy is intimate 
enough to prevent distortions and deformities, as mirrored 
in the humorous glass, being taken for its normal and 
representative state. This is what makes us all unjust in 
measuring the humorous bump in other peoples. 

GERMAN CARDS. 

The game is, among Germans, mostly played with Ger- 
man cards. The " Luxus-Karten" after Prof. Ludwig Bur- 
ger's designs, of which some specimens are presented on 
the plate facing the title page, — devoid though of the 
charm of appropriate and characteristic coloring — are part 
of a very handsome present made by the combined art- 
industries of Germany to the German Crown Prince and 
Princess on their silver-wedding. These cards may well be 
called art-productions of no mean pretensions. Not only 
the face cards, but the spot cards as well, show fully exe- 
cuted figures, as the Seven of Bells (diamonds of ordinary 
cards) may prove. Each suit has its significance. 

Eicheln is given up to war and its representatives, sol- 



28 

diers ambitious of the oaken garland. GriXn is the foresters' 
and hunters' suit ; merchants' and farmers' life is drawn 
upon to illustrate Schellen ; and lastly, Herzen (hearts), what 
should it be but the old, old and ever new story told by 
the turtle-doves on the Ace (German : Daus, always show- 
ing two suit-marks in German cards as will be later on 
more fully explained). The handsome design of the back 
of the cards has the heraldic Prussian eagle for a centre- 
piece. 

Not less beautiful are Emil Doepler's Whist cards 
which were also prepared for the Crown Prince's silver 
wedding. The Ace of hearts whose delightful design is a 
little masterpiece, in this as in the Skat card, shows the 
30 Pfennig revenue stamp of the German Empire. The 
Jack of hearts is Doepler's own likeness. The Imperial 
German eagle spreads over the back of the cards. 

The ordinary German Skat card is as follows, with 
reproductions of the types usually employed in German 
Skat-books and the Skat-columns of German magazines ; 
also the notation, after Buhle, in Skat-books and problems, 
the upper signs, in italics, standing for the German — (e.g. : 
eW "= Eichel Wenzel, gD = Grim Daus, sO = Schellen Ober); 
the lower signs for the notation adopted in the solution 
of problems in this book, agreeing with the English names 
of ordinary Whist cards, cJ = clubs Jack, Jack of clubs, 
s9 = Nine of spades. The s for Schellen in the German 
card should not be mistaken for the s for spades in the 
English card. 



Name of Cards. Eicheln. 



29 
Grun. 



German. English. Acorn. Green 

eW 



Wenzel, ' 
Bauern, 



Jacks 
or 



Roth. Schellen. Point Value. 
Red. 

rW 



Dolus, ) 
As, or{> Ace. 
Asz \ ) 
in French pack. 



Zehn, Ten. 



Konig, King. 



Ober 2 ), 

Dame } Queen. 

or Konig in 
in French pack. 



2feun, Nine. 



Acht, Eight. 



Sieben, Seven. 




Zahlkarten 3 ) 


sW 
dT 


" 2 


sD 
dA 


" 11 


sZ 

dT 


" 10 


sK 
dK 


" 4 


sO 




dQ 


" 3 


s9 
d9 


Fehlkarten, 
(Ladons) : 

" 


s8 
d8 


" 


si 
dT 


" 



Clubs. Spades. Hearts. Diamonds. 



1) Suit marks under the figure, hence Der Unter. 

2) Suit marks over the figure, hence Der Ober. It will be noticed that this 



3° 

Eicheln or Eckern (acorn), the equivalent of clubs, French 
trefle, from Latin trifolium; also called Kreuz (cross), re- 
sembling the hilt of a sword in the French card, while 
acorn signifies fruitfulness, hence the Fall season. 

GriXn (green), Laub (leaves), Sihippen, better : Schilppen 
(spades), French pique from Latin spica, the three-pointed 
head-piece of a partisan or kind of halberd. Green or 
leaves suggest Spring. 

Herzen (hearts), Roth (red), French coeur. Red implies 
warmth, the Summer season and the heart is the centre of 
a target. 

Schellen (bells), — Eckstein (cornerstone) applied only to 
the French card, carreau, — same as diamonds. The shape 
of the diamond suggests the metal point of an arrow, the 
bells of the German card : sleighing, the Winter season. 
This suit is also called Buthen (a layer of brick) in German. 

The application of the French card to military things 
is said to originate with La Hire, the famous general of 
King Charles VI. of France, for whose entertainment when 
insane, as some reports have it, the French cards were de- 
vised; while Charles is actually on record as having for- 
bidden gaming in his armies until La Hire shrewdly 
attached a military meaning to the suit marks. 



card corresponds to the Queen of the French pack, but is a male figure : Der Ober, 
the German card excluding the representative of the fairer sex. 

3) Fehlkarten, fail-cards, waste-cards, of no point-value, while the other cards 
are ZahUca'ten, tale-cards, having a point-value. We can give no satisfactory 
etymology for the Taroc term "Lidon." It is, perhaps, corrupted from the Italian 
ladro, bad, not good ; or the Spanish la-Iron, thief, robber, " que hurta o roOa," 
according to the Dictionary of the Academy. 



3i 



MODEL GAMES. 

In order to assist students of Skat who learn without a 
teacher, representative games of all the different varieties 
are here inserted, with full solutions, the distribution of 
the cards and the way they are, or should be played, and 
the value and cost of each game 1 ). The actual playing of 
these games among beginners is strongly recommended. 
It will teach them more than long dissertations. 

I. FRAGE: SIMPLE GAME. 

Distribution of Cards. 



1 


oooo 

o o 
oooo 




In the Skat: 



A gets the privilege of "playing," B and G passing, 
finds best two Jacks in the Skat, makes diamonds trumps 
and, after discarding hT and sK, leads trumps, of course : 

1) Pee page 29 for the English notation of cards employed in the solutions. 
The Tieavy tyor denotes the taking curd which can easily be traced to the hand 
playing it. The taking hand always has the next lead. A means first hand at the 
beginning of the game, B second. C third hand (deaier, when three only piay); the 
heavy lype indicates the successful bidder for each game, A in the first game. The 
+ mark refers to the points scored in player's, the — mark to points scored in the 
tricks of the opposition. 



3* 

1) cJ, s7, dK, + 6 2) S J, s8, dA, + 13 

3) d7, sA, hJ, — 13 4) sT, dT, a 9, + 20 

5) c7, cK, elO, — 14 

The remaining tricks go to A who scores 93 points. The 

opposition are Schneider with 27 points. Value of game 1, 

-j- 2 Matadors, -f- Schneider, or 4 times 1 = 4 chips. 

If A disdains, after finding two Jacks in the Skat to 
play the lowest of all games, very rarely played, indeed, 
and makes clubs trump instead, discarding as above, which 
leaves him five trumps and a long suit in diamonds, ho 
leads trumps : 

2) C J, c Q, c T, + 15 
4)hK, d7, hA, — 15 
6) sQ, d9, bA, — 14 
8)dQ, h9, dK, — 7 
10) h7, c7, s8, 

Player's score 38 -\- 14 discarded = 52. Opponents win 
against him with 68 points. Value of game 4 ; add twice 
more 4 for 2 matadors, 3 times 4 = 12, which player pays 
to B and C, or B, C and D if four are playing. 



1) si 


c9, 


c8, + 2 


3) dJ, 


cK, 


hJ, — 8 


5) h8, 


hQ, 


a 8, — 3 


7) s7, 


sT, 


c A, + 21 


9) a a, 


dT, 


s 9, — 21 



II. TOUKXE. 




<? 


* % 


it ' M - 



^JlL 


OOOOj 

o o 
oooo 










s? s? 


9? 
9? 9? 

q? <? 


i 



C 



Ft] *J_* 







33 






4 4 



9 9 



§1 







0% 



7/i £fte #£a£ 








u4, driven up to simple game in clubs, prefers risking a 
Tourne, though holding no spades. He turns Ace of dia- 
monds, which makes diamonds trumps, takes up King of 
hearts and discards : Ace of diamonds, (trumps ! ) and Ten 
of hearts, in preference to Ace. Though weak in trumps, 
A leads : 

1) d7, dK, dJ, — 6 2) sK, dT, s7, + 14 
3) CA, g7, c8, + 11 4) hA, h8, h7, + 11 
5) hQ, h9, dQ, — 6 6) d9, c J, hJ, + 4 
C becoming aware of player's weakness in trumps, leads 
trumps in the 6th trick to place A in the middle, but A takes, 
withe J" and scores 41 points which, together with 21 points 
discarded, win him the game. Another game : 








*7^ 



* * 













0^ 


o 
0% 



34 



In the Skat : 




4* 
4. 4. 

A 
4.4. 



Third hand (C) after bidding up to Tourne, expecting if 
necessary to risk a doubtful Solo, secures the game as a 
Tourne. Even if turning a club, his weakest suit, he 
would have four trumps, two Aces and two Tens, a fair 
hand for turning. Queen of spades is turned up, spades 
trump ; he may discard either : d T and d K, or : h Q and 
h 8, or : c 8 and d T. When holding Ten and King, it is 
not advisable to discard these, as one of the two usually 
secures a trick ; it may be policy, sometimes, to discard 
the Ten and try finessing (schneiden, schinden) by leading 
King and trusting to the opposition's holding back Ace, 
expecting to cover the Ten, which player then has a chance 
to trump. This should only be done, however, if the game 
is secure and a Schneider can be made by the means of 
the stratagem ; or else, if winning the game hinges on its 
success. In this instance player tries it and discards c 8 
and d T. 

Against player as 3d hand, A leads his long suit, hav- 



ing no single card 



1) cK, c7, cA, + 15 

3) cJ, dJ, hJ, + 6 

5) c9, sT, cQ, + 13 

7) h8, hK, hT, - - 14 



2) S J, sK, s8, + 6 

4) s9, s7, sA, — 11 

6) dS, d7, d8, + 4 

8) h9, hA, h7, + 11 



9) sQ> d9, dQ, + 6 10)ha> cT, dA, + 24 



35 

€ scores, through the stratagem with dK, 85 points -f- 10 
in the Skat, 95, makes Schneider and wins : value 7, two 
matadors, Schneider, 4 times 7 = 28. 



III. SOLO. 




O 






oooo 

o 
oooo 



o 








In the Skat 



Though a fair Tourne for C, notwithstanding the absence 
of clubs in his hand, he announces spades Solo. A leads, 
against player in third hand, his single diamond, hoping 
to trump in his Ace of spades: 1) d9, &A> d K, — 15. 
B, seeing what his partner is after, leads back : 

2) dQ, dT, sA, — 24 3) cA, c Q, S K, + 18 
4) dJ, c7, s7, + 2 4) hJ, c9, s8, + 2 
6) S J, cT, sT, + 22 
Second hand here seeing that his trumps are all doomed, 
tries to mislead C into thinking that Nine of spades is 
the Skat and follows player's trump lead by playing s T 
instead of s 9. If player falls into the trap and plays : 



36 



7) h9, hT, c8, — 10 8) h8, s9, hA, — 11 
9) d8, sQ, hi, + 3 10) dJ> cK, d7, + 6 

lie loses, having scored with. 7 in the Skat, only 60 points, 
as much as A and B, and pays : spades Solo = 11, four 
matadors, 5 times 11 = 55. Leading trumps once more 
would have won him the game. 

IV. GRAXDO. 




In the Skat: 



Though holding only one Jack, B, being strong in all four 
suits, announces Grando, A having passed and C stopping 
at simple game in clubs. Even with only one Jack, player 
leads it as soon as he has a chance : 

1) cl9, dT, dQ, + 13 2) sJ, C J, dJ, — 6 



3) sK, s9, sA, + 15 
5) hT, hJ, hK, — 16 
7) s7, c-8, h7, 



4)hA, hQ, h9, + 14 
6) sT, s8, cK, — 14 
8) c7, d7, cA, + H 



9) dA, cQ, d8, + 14 10) h8, cT, dK, + 14 
Player wins, Grando without one Matador, twice 16 = 32. 



37 




^° 
o o 




*** 

* * 


9 <9 
5>_ ^ 







«0° 







/ft £/ie Skat 



B with the above card, A stopping his bids at Club Solo, 
announces Grando. 



1) 


c A, 


dJ, 


sJ, 


2) 


dQ, 


dA, 


dK, 


3) 


C J, 


hJ, 


hQ, 


4) 


oT, 


hK, 


s9, 


5) 


oZ, 


sK, 


s8, 


6) 


cQ,, 


hT, 


h9, 


7) 


c9, 


sT, 


h8, 


8) 


c& 


dT, 


d9, 


9) 


c7, 


hA, 


d8, 


10) 


h7, 


s A, 


d7. 



In the 9th trick B throws off hA, as two spades, Queen 
and Seven, are not played yet, while all the hearts are out 
except Seven. Both spades being in the Skat, B loses 
every trick, is made Schwarz and pays : Grando, 16, with- 
out 2 Matadors, Schneider, Schwarz, 5 times 16 = 80. 
Some players would make this game cost 96, including in 
Schwarz all previous rates, namely: game 1, Matadors 2, 
Schneider 1, Schneider announced 1 (although no an- 
nouncement was made) Schwarz 1, = 6 times 16 = 96. 



33 



A 



'J I iR 



A A 



7 



A~A 

_t : H^ s, 



V „ V V 

5> s? '<?_<? 









o o 



«4 &M 






"JW> 



A 5 -S? 



~^ ^~ 



St o o 



M. 



025 
J>3 



B$m°% g&'g ■>?$& ss'v 1 * A * * A * ^W? 3 z 

V~ | KL- a a a * J '^\. V v 



^ is. 



7n #*e aS/jo/ 



V 

» • ♦ 



C without any Jacks but four Aces and three Tens, B hav- 
ing passed at Tourne, announces Grando and by playing first 
all the Aces of the suits of which he holds the Tens and 
then the Aces of weaker suits, wins the game as follows : 

1) c-7, cQ. cA. + 14 2) hA: hT, h8, -f- 11 



4) 

6) 



dT, dK, dQ, - 17 
cT, c8, c9, — 10 



3) dA, d9, dS. - 11 

5) hT, hQ, hK, — 17 

1) sA ? sQ, s9, - 14 
In 7 tricks he scores 94 and makes Schneider. The oppo- 
sition take, of course, the remaining tricks with 26 points. 
Grando without four, Schneider, 6 times 16 = 96. 

V. XULLO. 

For Nullo games we refer to the General Rules and 
content ourselves with the following model game, taken 
from Buhle's excellent German "Skatbuch," like the fore- 
going. B announces an Open Nullo. 



39 




In the Skat: 




"t) A 

o<>o 

O 



Seven of clubs in A's hand is the only card which, after 
B has laid down his cards open, can force him to take a 
trick. A must therefore so manage that G can throw off 
all six of his clubs. It should here be remarked that 
Buhle and the Skat Congress advocate for Open Nullo the 
laying down of the cards immediately and not after the 
first trick only, which latter practice obtains with most 
players and is taught by Hertefeld. The game runs as 
follows : 



1) hA, hT, cA, 

3) hQ, h8, cQ, 

5) d9, d8, dA, 

7) dJ, da d7, 

9) sJ, s7, c9, 



2) hK, h9, cK, 

4) hJ, h7, cJ, 

6) sA, sQ, s9, 

8) sT, s8, cT, 
10) c 7, when B must 



take with c8 and loses, Open Nullo, 40. 



40 



SKAT PROBLEMS. 

The German magazines and illustrated papers, Ueber 
Land and Meer, Stuttgart, as the pioneer under the editor- 
ship of the late A. Hertefeld ; the Berlin Deutsche Illustrirte 
Zeitung ; Die Gartenlaube und Deutsche Kegel- und Skat- 
Zeitung, Leipzig, have for some time had a Skat-column — 
and we learn that at least two German periodicals in this 
country are about to follow suit — in which questions of 
dispute are discussed and problems published. TTe borrow 
the following very ingenious one from Die Gartenlaube, 
1886, No. 52. 

How must the cards be distributed so that first hand, 
with 92 points in his own cards, in playing a Grando, 
must lose it, while second hand, with only 8 points in his 
cards, can likewise play a Grando and win? 

The solution is : if the cards are distributed as follows : 




In the Skat . 



41 
First hand keeps the game and plays Grando : 



1) 


c A, 


dJ, 


cQ, — 16 


2) d7, 


dQ, dA, + 14 


3) 


s A, 


hJ, 


sQ, — 16 


4) d8, 


c7, dT, + 10 


5) 


cT, 


sJ, 


c 9, — 12 


6) h7, 


hQ, hA, + 14 


7) 


sK, 


h8, 


s7, + 4 


8) sT, 


C J, s 9, — 12 


9) 


a 9, 


s8, 


cK, — 4 


10) h9, 


c8, hT, + 10 



B and G score 60 points, A 52 -|- 8 in the Skat, 60, and 
loses the game. If B had played Grando he would win, 
since the game would run about the same way, scoring 60 
points with 8 in the Skat, 68 points. Grando without four 
= 80 chips lost for A ; or Grando with four = 80 chips 
won for B. 

SOME GENERAL RULES. 

While no rules can be laid down for playing Skat that 
would hold good in all instances, the following may be 
safely relied on as embodying the results of the experience 
of the best players. In no game has the player's indi- 
viduality a wider field for successfully asserting itself than 
in Skat. 

I. RULES FOR THE PLATER. 

a) Bidding. 

Examine your hand as to the safest and highest game 
to bid for and calculate the number of points you are 
likely to lose. 

It is better that your poor cards should be Ladons 
than middle cards, Queens or Kings. 



42 

If you hold an equal number of cards in two suits, 
make trumps the suit with the smaller cards in preference 
to the one of which you hold Ace and Ten. 

If another hand offers to play the same game you are 
bidding for, let him do so. 

A poor Solo is better than a poor Tourne. 

The stronger your suit the less likely is your finding a 
card of it in the Skat. 

Solo with only 4 or 5 trumps requires strong leading 
cards. 

Grando with two Jacks and two unbroken suits is safe, 
also with two Jacks and fair cards in three, or one Jack 
and fair cards in. four suits. 

Play Grando without four only when holding four Aces 
and Three Tens, or three Aces and four Tens. 

Never forget that a poor hand may be a Nullo. 

A long suit in Nullo without the Seven is dangerous. 

b) Leading. 
Always draw trumps. 

With a sequence of Jacks and long trump suit, play 
from highest card down ; with three or four Jacks, do not 
play them in their order, but a small one first, so as to 
induce 2d hand to throw in Ace or Ten in the expectation 
of last hand's taking. (Wimmelfinte = dumping feint). 

With only one Jack, Ace, Ten, etc., lead small trump 
first. Lead trumps even if very weak, but stop on finding 
that all are in one hand against you. 



43 

When holding Ten and King, it is best to lead the Ten 
(Altenburgern). 

In Grando lead Jacks and try Wimmelfinte, if you hold 
all four of them. 

In Grando without four lead the Aces first of which 
you hold the Tens, then the Tens, and finally the other 
Aces. 

In Nullo do not lead from a suit of which you hold six 
cards ; lead Eight or Nine single, or try a feint with your 
worst suit, leading a low card. Do not lead single Seven ; 
holding Nine and Seven, lead Nine. 

c) Throwing off, Trumping. 

Player in third hand must throw off Fehlkarten if the 
trick is not worth many points, but trump to get the lead. 

Player should try finessing (schneiden) if he can do' 
so without risking the loss of an Ace, i. e. after trumps are 
out; or, if his doing so is the only means of winning a 
game, or saving Schneider ; and after the game is won and 
a successful Schnitt is likely to make the opponents 
Schneider. 

H. RULES FOR THE PARTNERS IN OPPOSITION. 

a) Leading. 

Try to weaken player's trump force and prevent his 
throwing off Fehlkarten. 

As first hand against player in middle hand lead your 
long suit ("the bliss of the long suit") even to playing 



44 

Ten fifth or sixth. If without a long suit, but many 
trumps, lead trumps, especially in Tourne. 

As first hand against player in third hand, lead your 
short suit, single cards or even an unguarded Ten. 

Assist your partner by returning his lead or the suit he 
throws off. 

If player visits the hamlets, the opponents should lead 
trumps ; but against player in third hand only, if they can 
draw his trumps. It may become necessary to lead trumps 
anyway, lest player throw off his Fehlkarten. 

In Solo lead Aces and change suits. 

In Grando with best and another Jack, lead the former, 
then your long suit ; with the two small Jacks, lead your 
long suit first. 

In Nullo lead single cards, return your partner's lead, 
or the suit he throws off, but not the suit player has led, 
nnless you suspect a feint. 

b) Taking, throwing off, following suit. 

The opposition must try to place player in middle hand. 

If Jack is lead, cover with a better Jack, but do not 
play best Jack on lowest in the first round. 

If you hold second Jack and Ten of trumps only, play 
the Ten on Jack of clubs. 

Play the highest cards into your partner's tricks, the 
lowest into player's, and hold the suit which your partner 
throws off ; also hold King third, but part with a small 
trump which cannot possibly make a trick, if you thereby 



45 

have a chance to dump a high card into your partner's 
trump trick afterwards. 

c) Dumping. 

Dump high cards into your partner's tricks, Ace first, 
when you hold Ace and Ten, not the Ten, because one 
point is often of consequence ; besides it tells your partner 
that you, probably, hold the Ten also, or enables him to 
lead it himself. 

Be careful lest you fall a victim to player's Wimmelfinte, 
when he leads a small Jack in Grando. 

d) Finessing. 

Do not attempt finessing in a suit led by your partner 
and try it only after Sohneider is saved and your stratagem 
might be the means of winning an otherwise lost game or 
if on its success depends your saving Schneider. 

e) Trumping. 

The opposition must husband their trumps and play 
them only into tricks with high cards. If your partner, 
however, leads a high card whose points added to your 
pack would win the game, the best Jack even is none too 
good to secure it. 

All hands should always count the points in the tricks 
as the cards fall on the table. The player may count his 
and his opponents, it is against the rules to look over 
the tricks or count points, after the tricks are taken up. 



46 



GLOSSARY OF GERMAN SKAT TERMS. 

The German Skat-terminology, shorn of which the game, 
like a choice wine when uncorked, would lose its most in- 
spiring flavor, is the vehicle of the humorous element, its 
natural companion. "We must confine ourselves to a few 
specimens, their etymology and application. Many of the 
most expressive terms are made use of in the text. 

Daus = deuce, from Latin duo, French deux; a connec- 
tion with deuce, an evil spirit, Latin deus, is by some 
writers disclaimed : a Two at cards or dice. Against 
this may be advanced the derivation of English Deuce, 
from German Daus, the Ace at cards, Gallic Dusii, 
a corruption from Latin deus (?), Low-German Duus, 
English Deuse, an excellent being. According to Grimm 
the German Daus and English Deuse are alternately 
signifying a good and a bad being, the German Daus 
more especially meaning an excellent fellow. The 
Ace or Daus of the German card is a face-card with two 
suit marks, the King also having two, while Queen and 
Jack have only one ; the Daus thus corresponds to the 
One-spot of French cards, the Ace, also called in Ger- 
man : As or Asz, from Latin as, a weight or coin, the 
sinews of war, the real power of a prince and therefore 
ranking higher than the King himself ; as also the 
Deuse, a spirit of good or evil, would outrank a King. 

Geben, to deal ; vergeben, to misdeal. To deal twice or 
oftener in succession may happen to good-natured or 



47 

inattentive players and coaxing one into it always 
seems a good joke, as the dealer's chances are the least 
good. The story is told of the man who, having dealt 
ten times in succession, politely refuses to do so the 
eleventh time, saying that he never deals twice. 

Mauern, (to lay bricks, literally translated) to block the 
game, to be overcareful, to refuse playing a game with 
a sufficiently good hand at some small risk. Players 
thus blocking the game usually force a more liberal 
one into engaging in a game at much greater risk. 
Those thus holding back and playing for their own 
account games only that are quite safe, but wreck- 
ing the enterprise of others, are little liked, and 
accusing one of Mauern is quite a serious reproof. 
Playing the dog in the manger would, perhaps, be the 
best equivalent. 

Ramsch, riff-raff, scramble. A game played in Bier-Skat, 
but in Geld-Skat as well, when none of the three active 
hands is sufficiently strong to play single-handed 
against two. In Ramsch every one plays for his own 
account and he who scores the highest number of 
points pays ten chips to the others. If one player 
makes no tricks at all, eine Jungf'er bleibt, remains 
a kid — the loser pays double the rate, as also in the 
last-trick-Bamsch, when the unlucky player who is forced 
to take the last trick, pays 20 chips to the others. 

Schneiden, to finesse ; also called Schinden, to flay, to 
skin, to scalp (in first or second hand : Der Schnitt von 



48 

vorn), and posimeistern (to postmaster) to act like a 
postmaster (in third hand : Der Schnitt von hinteri). It 
means playing a lower card at the risk of its being 
covered by one's opponent while a higher card is kept 
back that would have insured the trick, with a view 
of capturing a still more valuable card with the latter. 
Judiciously applied a very important trick in Skat, as 
the winning or losing some games depends on cover- 
ing a Ten with an Ace and scoring 21 points. Liter- 
ally translated schneiden is to cut, to be sharp. The 
term postmeistern may owe its origin to the fact that 
in the times of stage-coaching postmasters had to 
assign the passengers' seats and were inclined to hold- 
ing back the more desirable ones, while making the 
poorer ones do duty first. It could hardly be called 
finessing in "Whist if last hand covers with the lowest 
card necessary, but very well in Skat, as there is 
always danger of an Ace held back being trumped 
afterwards. 
Schneider, to score 30 or fewer points out of a possible 
120 or necessary 61 to win a game voluntarily entered 
into by one player ; also put as : der Spieler ist 
geachnitten, player is cut (badly). Whether originally 
applied in the sense that a player thus beaten cuts as 
ridiculous a figure as tailors (Schneider), in popular 
estimation, were thought to do ; or derived from the 
colloquial expression : er hat sich geschnitten, he was 
grievously mistaken, we will not attempt to decide- 



49 

To make such a defeat still more pointed, the two 
partners who bring it about, in mock courtesy, rise 
from their seats and bend down until their foreheads 
touch the table. Schneider and Schneider must not 
be confounded. 

Schwarz, black, meaning : whitewash, when either party- 
fails to make any trick. Probably derived from the 
game of Schwarzer Peter, Black Peter, where the loser, 
by means of a smoked cork, is beautified with a black 
mustache. 

Tourne, turn-over game, to turn up one of the two Skat- 
cards the suit of which becomes trumps. This French 
name for one of the varieties of a decidedly German 
game is less unexplainable than would at first seem.. 
The Tourne-game is an afterthought, probably intro- 
duced by students or well educated people, at a period 
of German national life, when foreign things had a 
great attraction. German speech is to this day speckled 
with French phrases in the face of the attempts at 
purism led by the German Postmaster General. While 
the many French technical terms are still preserved in 
the German army, the last place where one would ex- 
pect them, the postal service is thoroughly Germanized. 
Tourne in Skat, however, seems to be doomed, as 
Wende-Spiel (the good old Saxon to wend, in the sense 
of to turn, now obsolete), is to be substituted for it. No 
equally expressive terms have as yet been suggested 
for Grando and Nullo. 



5° 

Yatermorder, parricide, also : a pointed stand-up collar, 
"lady-killer." "When a player's game is lost, the oppo- 
sition haying scored 60 points, one of the latter picks 
up the tricks and slips them under his collar in the 
style of the ''lady-killer," thereby indicating that the 
game is a Vatermorder, killing its own originator. 

.Zallleil, to pay up in chips. If a fellow is slow in settling 
his losses, he will be reminded not to plead sickness 
for being backward in coming forward : Nicht Krank- 
heit vorschutzen. 

Zalllen-reizeil. Instead of bidding for the privilege of 
playing the game in the order of the suits and games, 
as tabulated on page 15, some players prefer to bid by 
figures, as for instance : offering to play a game 
worth 18 chips ; this might be a Solo in diamonds 
with one Matador, or simple game in spades with five, 
or any other game costing at least 18 chips ; or a 
game wortn 32, which might be a Grando with one, 
or a Tourne in clubs with three, or an open Nullo. 
It is claimed that this bidding by figures does not in 
the same measure disclose the several hands as the 
naming of the games by suits. This is not the fact, 
however, as player has finally to name his game all 
the same. Besides it is against the general principles 
upon which the several varieties are built up into a 
finely conceived structure, in harmony with the grada- 
tion of the suits. It also adds an element of hazard 
to a beautiful and sufficiently interesting game, singu- 



5i 

larly free from all gambling tendencies, and leads to 
the dilemma of offering a perfectly safe game accord- 
ing to the hand one holds, worth say 33 chips, a 
spade Solo without two, which, though flayer wins and 
may even make Schneider, turns out a lost game, 
"because finally only worth 22 chips, the first or second 
Jack being found in the Skat. As he engaged himself 
to play a game worth 33 and did not do so, his game 
is counted a loss for him. This " Zahlen-reizen " has 
been fully discussed in all its bearings at the recent 
Skat-Congress at Altenburg and, we think, was very 
wisely rejected as not germane to the true principles 
of Skat. 



SKAT IN GERMAN SOCIAL LIFE. 

It is well known that Germans do not take very kindly 
to the Puritan conception of life, but are fond of pleasure 
especially in a social way. They have a social talent, un- 
doubtedly, inherited from time immemorial, as Tacitus is 
witness to their fondness for convivial drinking and gamb- 
ling. Much less has the Puritan Sunday or Jewish Sab- 
bath found favor with them. They argue that their 
acceptance of it would imply a censure of the example of 
venerated teachers and beloved parents and rely on Luther's 
authority for a Protestant's right to reasonable enjoyment on 



52 

Sundays. The Augsburg Confession r has it that " they err 
greatly who hold that the Sunday observance was by the author- 
ity of the Church substituted as if necessary in place of the 
Sabbath. The Scriptures have abrogated the Sabbath which teach 
':: all 31 ceremonies, since the revelation of the Gospel, 

may be omitted," and even J. Calvin in the Swiss Con- 
fession 3 ) "but ice celebrate, by a liberal observance, Sunday and 
not the Sabbath." In conformity with these teachings the 
German language makes Sunday, Sonntag, also a Feiertag, 
and since there is no conviction deeper engrafted on the 
mind than that conveyed by the words of the mother- 
tongue, there seems to be little likelihood that Germans 
will ever accept the Sabbatarians'' views on this question, 
followed by the English-speaking peoples exclusively ; for 
feiern from Xeo-Latin feria, vacation, French foire, English 
fair, means both : to abstain from work and: to have a 
good time, to celebrate. Sunday, dies Solis, the Sun's day, 



1) Confess. August.. Art. 2S: Xam qui judicant, Ecelesiae+auctoritate pro 
ilho institutam esse diet dominici observationem tamquam n-cesariam, longe 

errant. Scriptura abroqarit Sabbathmn. quae doeei omnes eaerernonias Jtosaicas 
-evelatum era-igelium o nit i posse. 

2) Confess. Helvet. IT. 24 : — sed dominicam (diem), non Sabbathum, libera 
one celebramus.— To which may be added from the u Catechismus Gene- 

rensis " {yiEMETER, Co'lectio Confessionum, Lipsiae 1540. p. 143]: 5 quidem quietis 
•vat'O pars est re'erum ceremoniarurn : itaque Ctiristi advent* abroga'a est. 
—And from the -Catechismus major Purvani libri symbolici" [XIEMEFER. L c, 
Appendix, p. 74]: omnis iUius diei prof.intio, sen o'io, sire ag-ndo quod in se 
malum est, site operib-us, dic'is. coo'tatirynibus crca res mundanas ac reereationes 

iion necessariis —The German Sunday observance conforms to such teachings 

and the most pious see no harm in doing on Sunday what is not in itself bad and 
hold that recreation is necessary for the hard-working, be they clerks, farm-hands, 
servants, or. in fact, working men o" any calling, those excepted that can do with 
theii time as thej please, while idleness (otiumj is denounced as a 'profanatux" 



53 

is the sunny day on which the birds warble the loudest 
their praise and joy into the blue expanse. In the same 
way the Germans in the Fatherland, in conscious oppostion 
to the Sabbath idea, deem it not improper to celebrate 
Sunday by social festivities, family re-unions, and — what to 
them seems " not in itself bad," and a necessary recreation 
— joyful mirth, as the welcome praise of the creature offered 
to his Creator, not unmindful of the Christian change of 
the day of rest from the Sabbath-day to Sunday, the 
dies dominicus, tfpiipa HVpiaurj. Starting with the idea 
that a happy man is more easily a goom man, any- 
thing promoting happiness on that day is eagerly sought 
and no pleasure that decent people would shun on any 
other day is forbidden, nay, especially provided. Out-of- 
door exercises are the order of the day after Church hours 
with all the people of Continental Eurdpe and, according 
to Dickens's pamphlet "Sunday under Three Heads," not 
very long ago were with the English 1 ). The less well-to- 
do would hardly have a chance to indulge in them on any 
day but Sunday. To some they are a tonic or a medicine 
which they would not object to taking on Sunday in some 
other shape. 



1) London Correspondence of the "JV. T. Tribune" of March 2, 1887: "The 
Hon. David R. Plunket has faced and foiled the clique of Sabbatarians, some of 
them professionals, who tried to induce nim to reverse his decision allowing Sun- 
day boating in the London parks. Vainly was that favorite bugbear of the "Con- 
tinental Sabbath" brandished in his face. Mr. Plunket replied in his bland, firm 
way that he would consider the memorial, but saw no reason for rescinding the 
privilege which he had granted. The new rule has been in operation for some 
time, and has caused no harm, but much innocent pleasure, and this especially to 
the poorer classes." 



54 

In some parts of Germany after the service the musicians 
with their instruments freshly tuned for the holy carols, 
station themselves in front of the church door and many a 
good pastor and priest have been known to lead one of 
their parishioners, and not the uncomeliest either, to an in- 
nocent dance on the lawn, around the village linden-tree. 
Kirchweihe, Kirmes, church consecration, is in Germany cele- 
brated on a Sunday, and so are the commemorative anniver- 
saries, for Germany is a poor country and to eke out a 
living requires most peoples' steady work for six full days. 
In this respect Germans live up to the divine law, not 
compromising on five and a half, and the term : Kirmes, 
Kirch Jlesse, (Church mass originally) now the equivalent 
of Church-ale, may be implied to mean no very lugubrious 
affair. 

On the other hand, the deeply sentimentally religious 
sense of Germans would be shocked at seeing Good Friday 
(Karfreitag, from Old High German ehara, mourning, or 
Slille Freitag) turned into a secular day which, with them, 
is the great holy day of the year when every secular pur- 
suit, every amusement, even loud talking are stopped, 
many people donning mourning clothes ; hardly is a car- 
riage or wagon seen in the streets, everybody in his de- 
meanor expresses the significance of the day. Through the 
whole Karicoche, in greater or less degree, this observance 
obtains until Easter Sunday. The famous Easter scene in 
Goethe's Faust, known as the Kirmess in Gounod's opera, 
is a true picture of a German Sunday afternoon, winding 



55 

up with Gesang und Tanz, song and dance. The Easter 
carol's last note is sounded. In their best new Spring 
attire the burghers come out of the town gates, deliberat- 
ing whither to wend their way. The young fellow picks 
out the buxom girl with whom to spend the day in mirth 
and good cheer ; the old fogies select the tavern where a 
glass of something good is known to be on tap over which 
to kannegiessern, indulge in big talk about politics ; the 
soldiers sing a merry song. Faust, walking with Wagner, 
in his beautiful apostrophe to Spring, likens the freeing of 
Nature from the thraldom of Winter by the advent of 
Spring to the people's liberation from oppressive life in 
narrow homes, their Easter resurrection, now ready to en- 
joy again the beauties of reviving Nature, and freer social 
pleasures. 

" Ich hore schon des Dorfs Getummel, 
Hier ist des Volkes wahrer Himmel, 
Zufrieden jauchzet Gross und Klein : 
Hier bin'ch Mensch, hier darf ich's sein." *) 

And Wagner refers to the fiddling, hollowing, bowling, all 
of a Sunday afternoon. 

Card playing on Sundays, on fair days, is, therefore, by 
no means uncommon among Germans and the remark of a 
venerable and pious German pastor is often quoted who, 



1) Frank Clauder's recent Faust translation : 

The village noise 1 hear now clearly, 
Here is the people's heaven, really ; 
Great, small, contented shout iheif glee 
Here am I man, dare it to be. 



56 

finding his boys playing cards on a week-day, reproved 
them since they certainly had more useful work to do, 
while they had all Sunday for enjoying themselves. Neither 
have the English always been as strict as they now are. 
Rheinhardt in his "Whist-scores" cites John Evelyn on 
court-life at the time of Charles II., and from Hayward's 
"Whist and Whist-players" that about the beginning of 
this century even clergymen used to meet of a Sunday 
evening at a country town of Somersetshire for a quiet 
game of Whist; and that in the Middle Ages laws were 
enacted in France forbidding card-playing on working-days. 

The German Sunday is of all others the day of social 
enjoyment and the strictest churchmen think it but natural 
that elderly people should wind up with a game of Skat 
or Whist, while the young folks play social games, dance 
or sing. Neither do they, of course, see the least harm in 
either, most of them being, and remaining, unaware of the 
fact that different opinions on this question prevail else- 
where. 

We thought it necessary to advert to these facts stating 
them to be such ; and the genesis of the German philo- 
sophy of life as far as it reflects on our subject, which, if 
differing from that obtaining here, is entitled to the con- 
sideration which its historical and dogmatic evolution, the 
natural predisposition of its adherents, their great number 
and perfect good faith, would seem to command. 

An American friend, on hearing the author of Skat 
claiming for it many good things, wittily remarked that, 



57 ■ 

if all this were true, as he had no doubt that it was, then 
the game of the Four Jacks would soon be known under 
the name of : the Great Scott. And it may truly be pleaded 
in its favor that, while as interesting, many sided, ever- 
changing, admitting of fine play, full of surprises and jolly 
as any gambling game could possibly be, it is not by any 
means one itself, but impels sociability, even when played 
by sedate people ; while the young and the merry will 
keep the fun going all the time and a regular Bier-Skat 
is the acme of good-natured nonsense. We refer our 
readers to Julius Stinde's " Die Familie Buchholz " and will 
here insert : 

FRITZ REUTERS "CARD PARTY." 

— TJt mine Stromlid: My Farming Days. — 
VOL. II., CHAPTER 22. 

[It is to be regretted that Reuter did not earlier in 
life take up his residence at Eisenach, the very home of 
Skat, since he would hardly have missed the chance of 
portraying a genuine party of Skat-players. No one could 
bave done better justice to the subject than the author of 
the " Boston-party " which, for the benefit of those who do 
not read his Low-German and "Missingsch" (brass), that 
wonderful alloy of the copper of High-German and zinc 
of Low-German which his Mecklenburg farmers and 
burghers speak, is here translated from the original. He 
introduces us to Hawermann and Uncle Braesig, both 
"Inspectors," a dignity unknown in farmer circles here, 



58 

overseers or stewards of large estates, directing husbandry 
operations either for the absent owner or under his per- 
sonal orders ; to Rector Baldrian, principal of a school 
and Kurz, his brother-in-law, the prosperous owner of a 
country store, all on a Sunday visit at Hawermann's.] 

" They sit down at last, ready for the fray ; but there 
was some little hitch as they had first to agree what the 
stakes should be. Kurz wanted the Boston Grandissimo 
rated a shilling ; but he was always venturesome ; that 
was a little too high and Braesig declared he did not 
intend to play for the sole purpose of taking the -money 
out of other people's pockets. At last Hawermann proposed 
a lower stake and cards were drawn. — Who holds dia- 
monds? the Rector asked, it is his deal. — Kurz dealt and 
they could finally begin, but did not ; the Rector put his 
hands down on his cards and looking about him began : 
It is curious! "We are all reasonable people and play a 
game, namely, at cards, which according to well authenti- 
cated report was devised for the entertainment of an 
insane King. King Charles of France, to wit.... — No, 
children, Kurz interrupted, if we mean to play, then let 
us play, if we mean to talk, then let us talk. — Go ahead, 
said Braesig and the announcing began. — Hawermann, be- 
ing first hand, passed, the Rector, next, took his time for 
arranging his hand, for he held the reasonable superstition 
that the cards improved if taken up singly and doing 
everything very conscientiously, put them in proper order 
and the Fives and Sevens in a way that the middle spot 



♦ 59 

could be plainly seen lest he mistake them for Fours and 
Sixes. Kurz had meanwhile laid down his cards, folded 
his hands over them and sighed. — I pass, said the Rector. 
— I knew that well enough, burst out Kurz, for he knew 
that the Rector's hand must be peculiarly strong for en- 
gaging in an off-hand game; at the same time he was afraid 
the Rector would offer to help, should he himself announce 
a game, because he never had anything, or if so, made 
blunders. — Pass, said Braesig. — Boston Grandissimo! Kurz 
called out, who helps? — Dear brother, said the Rector, I; 
one trick, two tricks ; well, the third will take care of it- 
self. I help. — Very well, said Kurz, but we won't pay to- 
gether, everyone for himself. — Well, Karl, Braesig said, go 
ahead! Let us try and knock their fiddle to pieces. — Very 
well! Kurz put in, but no talking. — Certainly not, Hawer- 
mann retorted, playing 10 of hearts : " Duke Michael in- 
vaded the country." — "Hearts, Mr. Forester," the Rector 
said, putting down the Jack. — "Hug me and kiss me but 
do not muss my frills," said Braesig, cutting with the 
Queen. — "The girl must have a husband," Kurz continued 
the story, trumped over with a King and putting the trick 
before him, led a small club : " Cross-cracker and Zwie- 
back ! " — " Gobble them up, Peter ! 'tis lentils," Braesig 
called to Hawermann. — Stop! said Kurz, no talking! — 
Certainly not, and Hawermann followed with a small club. 
— "Beautifully sings our sexton," was the Rector's say, 
taking with Nine. — "A cross, great sorrow and a shrew 
such is my lot my whole life through," said Braesig, roping 



6o 

in the trick with the Queen. — Well, said Kurz, how the 
deuce could I know it, he had'nt clubs either ! WHiat does 
he have ? — Look here, Karl, now lead them a dance, and 
turning to Kurz, Braesig continued : I was your "Whist, 
Sir! Here "Pikas (pique ace) was a setter's name," play- 
ing Ace of spades (pique), drew the King: "long live the 
King ! " and the Queen : " all honor to the ladies ! " — 
Great Scott, Kurz said, put his cards on the table and 
looked at the Rector : "What does he have? Spades he has 
not, either! — Dear brother, the Rector drawled, my time is 
coming. — But too late! and Kurz took up his cards again 
with a deep sigh as if the Rector had treated him un- 
worthily, but willing to suffer it in a true christian spirit. 
— Karl, asked Braesig, how many do we have? — Four tricks, 
Hawermann replied. — No! Kurz exclaimed, this is no game 
at all; you must not talk! — Is this talking if I simply ask? 
Look out now, Karl, one more I am good for and if you 
make another they are busted. — I get mine, said Kurz. — 
And I mine too, said the Rector. After a few more rounds* 
Kurz put his hand down on his tricks : So, I have mine. 
— Diamonds had been played, the Rector tried finessing 
with the Queen, Braesig trumped over with King: ""Where 
are you going, my pretty maid?" and the poor Rector 
o-ot left. — "Well, how that could come about, I cannot com- 
prehend. — O, you had no "Whist, said Kurz. — Karl, said 
Braesig, if you had paid better attention, they would be 
short another trick. — O, you have made the mistake in not 
leading back my hearts. — Karl, did I have one? I did'nt 



6i 



have none, I had King single. — No, brother, said Kurz, 
you gave the game away, having the King and playing 
Nine ; the game would have been grandly won. — Ah, what 
could you do? said Braesig, you stripling, you /bmtf-s trip- 
ling I am sitting here, last hand, with the whole kit and 
boodle of spades and a couple of other big bugs what 
could you do? — Sir, do you think I am afraid of your big 
bugs when I announce Boston ?- — No, no, Hawermann stopped 
them, dealing afresh, leave that now! playing the game 
over again is never pleasant. 

Thus they kept it up in a pleasant excitement 

until the Rector, making a rough guess at the amount of 
money he had after all won and finding that it was about 
3 Thalers and 8 Groschen, and since of late luck had been 
somewhat against him, concluded to stop, rose and said 
that his feet were cold, putting his booty in his pocket. 
— If you suffer from cold feet, said Braesig, I can give you 
an excellent prescription ; take a pinch of snuff every 
morning before breakfast, that will cure it. — Not much, 
put in Kurz, who was just in luck, how can he get cold 
feet? — How? the Rector said hotly, for he had to secure 
his money, cannot I get cold feet as well as you? Don't 
you always get cold feet at our club, after you have won? 
and he insisted on keeping his cold feet and his boodle 
and after a little while they broke up." 



•^sisczr 



62 

A BIBLIOGRAPHY OF SKAT. 

From 1876 to 1886. 



(The more commendable books are marked *) 

A-B-C des Skatspiels. zur Ergotzuug und Forderung spielfroher Ger- 
manen in Keime gebracht von einem Thuring'schen Schulmeister. 
16. Biiding 1885. 

Anleitung", Neue hochst praktische, zu Skat — Whist — L'hombre — 
66 — und alien bekannten wie unbekannten Karten-Spielen fur 
soiche die nicht mitspielen aber zusehen. Von Peter Schwarz, 
Professor des Bier-Skats. 12. Sangerhausen 1881. 

Kurze, leichtfassliche zur griindlichen Eiiernung des Skatspiels. 

Ausgabe fur Nichtspieler. 5. Aufl. 16. Harburg 1881. 

* Anton, Fr., Encyclopaedie der Spiele. 3. Aufl. 8. Leipzig 1879. 

Bierscat. Practischer Leitfaden 1'iir das Skat-Spiei fiir Studenten 
und Nicht-Studenten. Von Oscar, Bitter von Grand. 16. 
Leipzig 1877. 

Bier-Skat. Ausfuhrliche Anleitung zur i.rlernung des Bier-Skats 
nebst dem Lachsfangen. Fiir Fiichse und Soiche die es werden 

woUen. 16. Celle 1883. 

Bierspiele, (Bier-Skat, Kammes, Cerevis, Quodlibet.) Foho. Leip- 
zig 1877. 

*Buhle, K.. Allgemeine Deutsche Skatordnung. 12. Leipzig 1886. 

* Illustrirtes Lehrbuch des Skatspiels fiir Anfanger und Geubtere. 

8. Leipzig 1885. 

Claus, P. Leitfaden des Scatspiels. 6. Aufl. 8. Berlin 1885. 

Deutsche Kegel- und Skat Zeitung". Centralorgan des deut- 
schen Kegel- und Skatspieles. A weekly paper. Leipzig. 

Domschke, P. C. Merkbuchlein fiir junge und alte Knaben die 
Freude am edlen Skatspiel haben. 8. (With 11 chrom. lith. plates). 

Frensdorf, P. F. Scatus. Ein Epos in 9 Gesangen. 3. Aufl. 16 
Harburg i878. 

Groth, J. C. Die Kunst des Skatspiels. 8. Aufl. 8. Berlin 1884. 



63 

Illustrirtes Skatbuch. Theorie und Praxis des Skatspiels, mit 
zahlreichen durch Kartenbilder illustrirten Beispielen und Auf- 
gaben (von A. Hertefeld, the late Baron Hirschfeld). 8. Bres- 
lau 1883. 

Koch, F. Der feine Skat-Spieler. 3. Aufl. 8. Weimar 1882. 

Kcenig' Skat. Ein lustiges Epos in 5 Gesangen. 12. Chemnitz 1882 

Kulm, L. Die Kunst, das Skat-Spiel in einer halben Stunde spielend 
zu erlernen. 32. Berlin 1882. 

Kurtz, A. Der perfecte Skat-Spieler. 16. Berlin 1882. 

Ijemcke, E. E. Skat the German Game of Cards. 16. New York 1886. 

Merz, M. Das Skat-Spiel. 6. Aufl. 8. Berlin 1882. 

*I*OSert, von. 72 deutsche, franzosische und englishe Kartenspiele, 

als : Skat, L'hombre, "Whist, Pref e'rence, etc. 5. Aufl. 8. Qued- 
linburg 1879. 
*Scatspiel, Das, Anleitung zur Erlernung desselben nach Form und 
Geist. Mit Beriicksichtigung des Bier-Skats. 3. Aufl. 12. n.d. 

Scatspieler, Der regelrechte. 4. Aufl. 16. Quedlinburg 1884. 

Schrceter, T. Spielkarte und Kartenspiel. Neue Deutsche Spiel- 
karten, erfunden mit Versen begleitet. 4. (With 56 chromo-litho- 
graphs). Leipzig 1884. 

Schubert, H. Das okatspiei im Lichte der Wahrscheinlichsberech- 
nung. 12. Hamburg 1886. 

Schurig-, B. E. R. Lehrbuch des Schach- und Scatspiels. 8. Leip- 
zig 1879. 

Skat. Anleitung zur Erlernung des Skatspiels. Anhang : Der Bier- 
Skat. 3. Aufl. 16. Celle 1884. 

See Lemcke. 

Kurze Grammatik des Skatspiels fur Anfanger. 16. Celle 1883. 

Skat-Kalender fur 1883. Herausgegeben von M. O. Fischer-Tanger- 
hiitte. 8. Erfurt 1882. 

Wenzel, W. Skat-Spiel. Leichtverstandliche Anleitung etc. 12. 
Oberhaus 1885. 

Whist-, Boston- und Skat-Spieler, Der, wie er sein soil, 
nebst grundlicher Anleitung zum L'hombrespiel. 9. Aufl. 8. 
Quedlinburg 1876. 



I 1ST 3D ZEZXl. 



Acht, German for Eight, 29. 
Altenburg, 4, 51. 
Altenburgern, 43. 
Announcement of Schneider or 

Schwarz, 15. 
As, Asz, see : Daus. 
Auf die Dorfer gshen, 19. 
Augsburg Confession, 52. 

Bauern, see Jacks. 

Bells, see Schellen. 

Bibliography, 62. 

Bid, see Keizen. 

Bier-Skat, playing for Beer, 47, 57. 

Buhle, C, 28, 39. 

Burger, L., Skat Cards, 27. 

Calculus of probabilities, 25. 

Calvin, John, 52. 

Carreau, 30. 

Charles VI. of France, 30. 

Chips for Skat, 21, 55. 

Clergymen, English, 57. 

German, 54, 55. 

Coeur, 30. 

Cost of Games, 16, 17. 

Da fangt es erst an = It just only 

begins here, 23. 
Dame, 29. 

Daus, German for Ace, 28, 29, 46. 
Deal, 9. 

Deuce, Deuse, 28. 
Deutsche Illustrirte Zeitung, 40. 

Karte, see German Cards. 

Kegel- und Skat-Zeitung, 40. 



Dickens, Chas., 53. 

Discard, 5, 18. 

Doepler, E., 28. 

Dreibein, 4. 

Drive, see Reizen. 

Driicken, German for discard. 

Dump, see Wimmeln. 

Easter Sunday, 54. 
Eckern, Acorn, see Eicheln. 
Eckstein, 30, see Schellen, 
Eicheln, Acorn, 27, 29, 30. 
ETYMOLOGY AND SYNTAX, 23. 
Evelyn, John, 56. 

Fehlkarten, Ladon = waste-cards 

or fail-cards, 13, 29, 30. 
Feiertag, Etymology of, 52. 
Finessing = Schneiden, 34, 43, 45. 
Follow Suit, 11, 44. 
Frage = Simple Game, 31. 

Ganze Nationen lernen es nie = 
whole nations never learn it, 23. 

Gartenlaube, 40. 

Geben = to deal, 9, 46. 

Geld-Skat, the playing of Skat for 
money, 47. 

GENERAL RULES, 44. 

GERMAN CARDS, 27. 

humor, 26. 

Geschnitten 7, see Schneider. 

GLOSSARY OF GERMAN SKAT 
TERMS, 46. 

Goethe's Faust, 54. 

Grando, 6, 14 ; Model Games, 36. 



INDEX. 



Grando Tourne, 14. 

Great Scott, 57. 

Griin, Green, 28, 29, 30. 

Hayward, 56. 

Hearts = Herzen, see Roth. 
Hemp el, 4. 
Hertefeld, 4, 39, 40. 
Herzen = hearts, see Roth. 
Hinterhand = last hand, 10. 
HINTS FOR PLAYERS, 17. 
Humor of Skat, 26. 
In the Skat, 6. 

Jacks, highest trumps, 6, 8. 

German names, 29. 

Jungen, see Jacks. 

Jungfer == Kid, 47. 

Karfreitag, 54. 

Kirchweih, Kirmes, 54. 

Kitzeln, to tickle, used instead of 

to bid. 
Konig = King, 29. 
Konigin = Queen, 29. 
Krankheit vorschutzen = to plead 

sickness, 40. 
Kreuz = cross, clubs, 30. 

Jjadon, see Fehlkarten. 

Ladro = Ladron, 30. 

La Hire, 30. 

Laub = leaves, see Griin. 

Lead, 42, 43. 

Luther, Martin, 51. 

Luxus Karten, see German Cards. 

Matador 5, 8. 

Mauern = to block the game, 47. 

Mittelhand = middlehand, 10. 

MODEL GAMES, 31. 

Neun = Nine, 29. 



Notation of Cards, 28, 29. 
Nullo, 6, 13 : Model Game, 38. 

Tourne', 14. 

Open, 14, 38. 

Ober = Queen, 29. 
Open NuUo, 14, 38. 
Opposition, 5, 7, 19, 43. 
ORDER AND VALUATION OP 

GAMES, 15. 
Orthography and Etymology, 1. 

Pique = spades, 30. 

Player, special meaning. 5, 7, 10. 

Rules for, 41. 

PLAYING THE GAME, 9. 
Point value of cards, 8, 29. 
Points, Skat a game of, 5. 
Postmeistern, see Schneiden, 48. 
PRINCIPLES OF SKAT, 5. 
Puritan conception of life, 51. 

Sunday, 51. 

Ramsch, 47. 

Reichs-Skat = Imperial Skat, 4. 
Reizen, to drive, to bid up, 7, 41. 
Reuter, Fritz, 26. 

Card-party, 57. 

Rheinhardt, Whist Scores, 56. 
Roth = red, hearts, 8, 29, 30. 
Ruthen = layer of bricks, 30. 

Sabbath, 51. 

Scart, Scartare, to discard, 5. 
Schafskopf, 4. 
Schellen = beUs, 28, 30. 
Schinden = to flay, see schneiden. 
Schippen, 30. 

Schmieren = to smear, to grease, 
same as "Wimmeln = to dump. 
Schneiden = to finesse, 47. 
Schneider, 7, 48. 



INDEX. 



Schnitt von vorn, 47. 
Schnitt von hinten, 47. 
Sehiippen = Spades, 30. 
Schwarz (black) = whitewash, 7, 49. 
Schwarzer Peter, 49. 
Sieben = seven, 29. 
Simple Game, 6, 31. 
Skat Congress at Altenburg, 4, 
40, 51. 

Etymology of, 5. 

SKAT IN GEKMAN LIFE, 51. 

in Music and on the Stage, 25. 

origin and history of, 4. 

SKAT PKOBLEMS, 40. 
"Skat," special meaning, 6. 
Solo, 6, 11 ; Model Games, 34. 

Grando, 19, 

Sonntag = Sunday, 52. 
Stechen = to trump. 

Stich == trick, a set of three cards 
(in Skat) taken by one player. 

Stinde, J., 57. 

Sunday Card playing, 55, 56. 

in Germany, 53. 

Syntax and Prosody, 26. 



Tacitus, 51. 

Taking, 44. 

Taroc, 5, 30. 

Throwing off, 43, 44. 

Tourne, 6, 11, 49 ; Model Games, 32. 

Grando, 17. 

Trefle, trifolium = clubs, 30. 
Trick = Stich, 5. 
Tramping, 11, 43, 45. 
Tramps, number of, 8. 

Jacks always, 6, 8. 

XJeber Land und Meer, 40. 
Unter = Jack. 

T^atermorder = parricide, 50. 
Vergeben = to misdeal, see geben. 
Visiting the hamlets, 19. 
Yorhand = first hand, 10. 

Wendespiel, see Tourne', 49. 
YVenzel = Jack. 

Wimmelfinte = dumping feint, 42. 
Wimmeln = to dump, 13, 45. 

Zahlen = to pay up, 50. 
Zahlen-reizen, 50. 
Zahlkarten == tale cards, 29. 
Zehn = Ten, 29. 



CT^R^O 



SKAT, the German Game of Cards (by E. E. Lemcke), the Skat Primer, 
being the 1st part of the Illustrated Grammar of Skat, New York 
1886, paper. 30 cts. 

The Best German Books on Skat: 

Illustrirtes Skatbuch. Theorie und Praxis des Skatspiels, mit zahl- 
reichen durch Kartenbilder illustrirten Beispielen und Aufgaben 
(von A. Hertefeld) $1.90 

Buhle, K. Allgemeine Deutsche Skatordnung, 1886, (the rules adopted 
by tbe Altenburg Skat Congress) 25 cts. 

Illustrirtes Lehrbuch des Skatspiels fur Anfanger und Ge- 

iibtere, 1885 90 cts. 

Das Skatspiel, Anleitung zur Erlernung desselben nach Form und 
Geist 40 cts. 

Sehubert, H. Das Skatspiel im Lichte der Wahrscheinlichkeitsberech- 
nung, 1886 40 cts. 



„§) CtttTdjC gltgltff-ftflttttt*" 

GERMAN SKAT CARDS, 

after Prof. Ltjdwig Buegeb's very handsome artistic designs, the originals 

of which are the property of the Crown Prince of Germany ; each 

card a beautifully executed picture: per pack $2.00; in 

case $2.50; in neat chest 3.00; double pack in 

neat chest $4.00. 



GERMAN WHIST CARDS, 

after Prof. Doepleb's designs, equally handsome and characteristic, 

per pack $2.00; in case $2.50; in neat chest $3.00; double 

pack in neat chest $5.00. 



Oedinaey Gebman SKAT Cabds, per pack 50 cts. 



Chips best suited for Skat, in sets at $1.75 or $2.75. 



B. WESTERMANN & CO., NEW YORK. 



--V. 






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LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 



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